I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid filtering devices, and, more particularly, to a fluid filtering device for use with a body having a filter chamber open at one end wherein a filter element disposed in the chamber is integrally formed with a cap to be removed and to be reinstalled upon removal and subsequent installation of the cap.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Several previously known fluid filtering devices are particularly adapted for use with machines or the like having a filter housing with a fluid chamber which is open on one end of the housing. A disposable filter element is inserted into the fluid filtering chamber through the open end of the chamber and thereafter a cap sealingly covers the open end of the chamber.
While these previously known fluid filtering devices function adequately, in practice machine workers have been known to dispose of a clogged or dirty filter element and thereafter replace the cap without inserting a new filter element within the filter chamber. The omission of a new filter element is oftentimes intentional since frequent replacement of the filter element is troublesome for unambitious workers.
The omission of the filter element from the filter chamber renders the filtering device inoperable and rapidly damages the machine as is well known in the art.